I graduated from the University of Minnesota thinking I was going to take on the marketing world. One advertising job, one husband, three kids, and many years later, I found a new, more fulfilling calling.

When my grandmother passed away it became clear to me that my kids, although they had known her, would never hear her story of survival from her voice. The realization that I had to preserve my grandparents’ story for future generations was where my path to JCRC began.

In 2015, my friend, Judi Shink, and I took our middle school-aged children to the Yom HaShoah commemoration which inspired us to get involved. Judi and I met with Laura Zelle and Susie Greenberg, JCRC’s former and current Director of Holocaust Education, and we began volunteering with JCRC to speak in schools about our family’s story and help to plan Yom HaShoah commemorations. We also started Generations After MN, a community for local descendants of Holocaust survivors to connect and share their stories.

It has been very meaningful to spend my time sharing my grandparents’ story with students in schools in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, and beyond. I’ve really enjoyed connecting with teachers and our talented Holocaust speakers. At a time when Jewish voices are sometimes silenced, and Holocaust comparisons and distortions occur almost daily, working with teachers who are dedicated to bringing Holocaust speakers to their classrooms has given me hope.

It has also been inspiring to meet and collaborate with talented 2nd and 3rd generation survivor speakers who share a passion for Holocaust education, providing a connection to our shared history.

Working with our local Holocaust survivor descendant community to plan Yom HaShoah commemorations is another way I, and all the volunteers, honor our parents’ and grandparents’ memory and the memory of all those who survived, and those who didn’t.

When Susie Greenberg, JCRC’s Director of Holocaust Education, asked me if I wanted to work part-time with her at JCRC, I knew it was the next logical step. I am excited to formalize and expand Generations After MN by establishing a local affiliate of Living Links, a nationwide network of 3G (3^rd Generation) groups, and partner of the Shoah Foundation. The JCRC Speakers’ Bureau is expanding with new Holocaust speakers registering for the Living Links training cohorts, and veteran speakers for continuing education.

I have always admired the care and dedication that JCRC staff take in their work to advocate for our Jewish community, and to educate and help people inside and outside the community. When I graduated from the UofM, I never would have thought that my career path would take me to JCRC, and I couldn’t be happier to be working here. I am dedicated to advancing JCRC’s commitment to Holocaust education, and to the local Holocaust descendant community.

If you are a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor and want to join a cohort of peers committed to sharing the stories of their families with support on how to present your family’s story, contact me at meira@minndakjcrc.org

If you are an educator who would like to request a Holocaust speaker please submit a request for a speaker on Living Testimony from the Holocaust using the form on our website.